Japan has earned a global reputation for engineering excellence, particularly in industries such as automotive, electronics, and industrial manufacturing, where decades of innovation, precision, and rigorous quality standards have made Japanese companies synonymous with reliability. Yet as software increasingly becomes the foundation of competitiveness across every major industry, from manufacturing and mobility to financial services and public infrastructure, questions continue to be raised about Japan’s pace of digital transformation, the persistence of legacy systems, the relatively slow adoption of automation, and the integration of artificial intelligence into enterprise operations. From the perspective of a company whose expertise lies in software quality assurance rather than software development itself, how do you view this discussion? Why has the perception emerged that Japan trails in software adoption, and what changes do you believe will be necessary for Japanese companies to successfully combine their traditional hardware strengths with the demands of an increasingly software driven global economy?
First, I think it is important to clarify the position from which we can answer that question. VeriServe is not a software development company, nor are we a systems integrator responsible for building enterprise IT systems. Our core business is software quality assurance, testing, and verification. Because of that, it would not be appropriate for us to speak on behalf of software developers regarding the overall pace of software implementation across Japan. Our perspective is naturally different because we evaluate and assure the quality of software rather than develop it ourselves.
I would also hesitate to say that Japan is simply behind in software. It depends entirely on what aspect of software is being discussed. If the question concerns the quality or capability of software itself, I do not believe Japanese companies are inherently lagging. Japanese organizations have consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to producing reliable, high quality systems.
Where I do believe there is still room for improvement is in the adoption of certain technologies and methodologies that have become increasingly important within modern software engineering. Test automation is one example. Across many industries there are still organizations that rely heavily on manual testing, and although automation is advancing, there remains significant potential for broader implementation.
This situation is particularly evident in sectors such as financial services and government systems. These industries naturally move more cautiously because they manage critical infrastructure, sensitive information, and services that require extremely high levels of reliability. Introducing new software technologies or transforming existing systems therefore tends to take longer than in industries where the operational risks are lower.
The discussion around artificial intelligence follows a similar pattern. Japanese companies generally place extraordinary importance on protecting confidential information. When organizations consider using AI services developed by external providers, one of their first concerns is whether sensitive corporate information or customer data could potentially be exposed. As a result, many companies approach AI adoption with considerable caution.
I do not believe this cautious approach should necessarily be interpreted as resistance to innovation. Rather, it reflects the priorities of Japanese businesses, where maintaining trust, confidentiality, and information security is considered fundamental. Companies want to adopt AI, but they also want confidence that it can be implemented without compromising the security standards their customers expect.
From VeriServe’s perspective, our responsibility is to help organizations overcome these concerns through quality assurance. We support companies in introducing AI responsibly by ensuring that quality, security, and reliability remain central throughout the implementation process. In that sense, our role is not simply to encourage the use of new technologies, but to help customers adopt them in a way that preserves the trust that has always been one of the defining characteristics of Japanese industry.
Artificial intelligence has quickly become one of the defining technologies shaping software development and digital transformation, yet many enterprises remain hesitant to fully embrace it because of concerns surrounding confidential information, intellectual property, regulatory compliance, and cybersecurity. This appears to be particularly true in Japan, where protecting corporate information has traditionally been regarded as a fundamental business priority. As a company focused on software quality assurance, how does VeriServe help organizations introduce AI into their operations while addressing these security concerns and maintaining the level of confidentiality that industries such as manufacturing, finance, and the public sector require?
The way AI is introduced depends largely on the customer’s operating environment and the level of confidentiality required within their business. There is no single solution that applies equally to every industry because different organizations face different security requirements.
For companies that handle highly sensitive information, one practical approach is to deploy a local large language model within an isolated environment that is completely disconnected from the public internet. In this configuration, customer information remains entirely inside the organization’s own infrastructure. AI can then be utilized without transmitting confidential data outside the company.
This allows organizations to benefit from AI while significantly reducing concerns regarding information leakage. Although people often associate this approach specifically with software testing, the concept is broader than that. Once an isolated AI environment has been established, companies can make use of AI across a range of activities while maintaining complete control over their information.
This approach is especially common in manufacturing industries and other sectors where confidentiality requirements are exceptionally high. In these environments, companies often prefer solutions that ensure sensitive operational data never leaves their internal systems.
For organizations in the IT and web sectors, however, the requirements can be somewhat different. VeriServe has established its own secure environment within AI infrastructure. Although it utilizes AI technology, the environment itself is closed and dedicated, allowing customers to access advanced AI capabilities under carefully controlled conditions.
This means customers can benefit from sophisticated AI technologies without exposing their information to an unrestricted public environment. The environment remains protected while enabling organizations to take advantage of AI in a practical and efficient manner.
Ultimately, the appropriate approach depends on each customer’s business, industry, and risk profile. Manufacturing companies frequently require fully isolated environments because of the confidential nature of their products and technologies. Organizations operating in IT or web services may instead choose a secure cloud-based environment that still provides strong protection while allowing greater flexibility.
Our role is not simply to recommend AI adoption. It is to provide customers with an implementation method that aligns with their operational requirements, their security policies, and their expectations for software quality. We believe that AI adoption and strong information protection are not mutually exclusive. With the appropriate architecture and quality assurance processes, organizations can achieve both.
VeriServe’s history stretches back more than four decades, beginning with software testing activities in 1983 before eventually becoming one of Japan’s leading independent software quality assurance companies. Today the company supports industries ranging from automotive and healthcare to aerospace, cybersecurity, enterprise IT, and many other highly specialized sectors. Throughout this period, software itself has undergone enormous technological change, yet your company’s central mission has remained remarkably consistent. Looking back over more than forty years, what do you consider to be VeriServe’s greatest competitive strength, and what has enabled the company to maintain its position as one of Japan’s leading specialists in software quality assurance?
I believe our greatest strength is that we have remained consistently focused on quality for more than forty years. There are very few companies that have dedicated themselves exclusively to understanding, improving, and advancing software quality over such an extended period.
VeriServe is fundamentally different from a software developer, a systems integrator, or a manufacturer that creates its own products. We do not build commercial software products ourselves, except for software products that support quality assurance, nor do we compete with our customers by offering competing technologies. Our purpose has always been to work alongside customers as an independent quality assurance partner, helping them solve quality related challenges regardless of the industry in which they operate.
Because we have maintained this singular focus for decades, we have accumulated an extraordinary amount of practical knowledge concerning software quality. Every project, every customer, and every industry has contributed additional experience. Rather than allowing that knowledge to remain dispersed across individual engineers, we have systematically organized it into what we call our Test Design Perspective Database.
This database represents one of VeriServe’s most valuable assets. It is a structured body of accumulated expertise that contains testing knowledge developed over more than forty years across numerous industries and technologies. It is not simply a collection of historical information. It is an evolving knowledge base that continues to grow as new projects are completed and new technologies emerge.
Because we operate as an independent quality assurance company, we are able to transfer knowledge from one industry to another. Experience gained while supporting automotive manufacturers may prove valuable when addressing challenges in financial services. Knowledge accumulated through medical systems can provide important perspectives for manufacturing projects. The ability to recognize these connections across industries is something that would be much more difficult for a company focused exclusively on a single sector or a single product.
Our independence allows us to view quality from a broader perspective. Rather than being constrained by one technology or one business domain, we continuously refine our accumulated knowledge by learning from many different industries. That knowledge becomes part of our structured testing methodology, enabling us to provide customers with increasingly sophisticated quality assurance capabilities.
We intend to continue expanding and evolving this knowledge base. As technologies become more complex and software continues to play a larger role in every industry, we believe that decades of accumulated quality expertise will become even more valuable. Rather than seeing quality as simply identifying defects, we see it as building a continuously evolving body of knowledge that helps customers develop more reliable, safer, and more trustworthy software.
One of the distinguishing capabilities you have described is VeriServe’s Test Design Perspective Database, a structured body of knowledge that has been built over more than four decades of software quality assurance across multiple industries. While the concept itself is compelling, many readers may wonder how such a database translates into practical value for customers. In real projects, software quality is not determined solely by whether a system performs the functions described in its specifications. It also depends on factors such as reliability, scalability, performance, usability, and other quality characteristics that are often difficult to define in written requirements. How does VeriServe use this accumulated knowledge to solve customer challenges, and how does your experience across different industries enable you to identify risks that may not be immediately visible during software development?
The value of our accumulated knowledge becomes most apparent during the process of designing tests. When software is developed, there are requirements that are explicitly documented and others that are not. If we look only at what has been written in a specification, it is possible to verify whether the software performs the required functions. However, software quality extends far beyond confirming that a particular function behaves exactly as described.
Functional requirements are generally straightforward because the specifications explain how a system should behave. If a particular operation is performed, the expected result is clearly defined, making it possible to verify whether the software behaves correctly.
The greater challenge often lies in what are known as nonfunctional requirements. These include characteristics such as performance, scalability, usability, maintainability, reliability, and many other aspects that determine whether a system performs successfully in real world conditions. In many cases, these quality characteristics are either only partially documented or not explicitly described in the specifications at all.
Nevertheless, they remain essential components of software quality and therefore must also be evaluated.
Designing tests for these areas requires more than simply reading documentation. It requires experience gained through years of observing how systems behave under different conditions, understanding where problems are likely to occur, and recognizing risks that may not be immediately apparent during development.
This is precisely where our Test Design Perspective Database becomes valuable. It contains the accumulated testing perspectives, methodologies, and practical knowledge that have been developed through decades of quality assurance projects. Rather than beginning each new project from scratch, our engineers can draw upon a structured body of proven knowledge when determining what should be tested and how those tests should be designed.
One of the greatest advantages of operating across many industries is that valuable knowledge is often transferable. Although industries differ, many quality related challenges share common characteristics.
For example, automotive systems involve functions that directly affect human safety. The testing perspectives developed within that environment have proven valuable when working with medical systems, where protecting human life is equally critical. Although the products themselves are completely different, the underlying approach to safety, reliability, and risk management shares important similarities.
Because VeriServe works independently across numerous industries rather than focusing on a single technology or product, we are able to identify these connections and continuously strengthen our testing methodologies. Each project contributes additional knowledge that can later be applied in entirely different fields, allowing our customers to benefit not only from our experience within their own industry but also from lessons learned across many others.
Among the industries you support, the automotive sector presents particularly demanding quality assurance requirements. Modern vehicles increasingly depend on software for critical functions, meaning that software quality is no longer simply a matter of operational efficiency but one that can directly affect passenger safety. At the same time, automotive manufacturers must comply with internationally recognized frameworks such as ISO 26262 and Automotive SPICE while also following their own company specific development standards and quality processes. From your perspective, what makes automotive software quality assurance fundamentally different from testing conventional enterprise systems, and what expertise is required to meet the expectations of this industry?
The automotive industry differs significantly from many other sectors because software can directly affect human life. When testing enterprise systems, the consequences of a software failure may involve inconvenience or business disruption. In automotive systems, however, software defects can potentially have much more serious implications because they may influence the safe operation of a vehicle.
For that reason, automotive quality assurance requires a different level of discipline and specialization.
The industry is governed by numerous standards and frameworks, including ISO 26262 for functional safety and Automotive SPICE for software process assessment. Understanding these standards is not simply a matter of reading the documentation. Quality assurance engineers must understand why these standards exist, how they are applied throughout development, and how they influence testing methodologies and verification activities.
Beyond internationally recognized standards, each automotive manufacturer and each original equipment manufacturer also maintains its own development processes, engineering rules, documentation requirements, and quality expectations. Successfully supporting automotive customers therefore requires a thorough understanding of these individual practices as well as the broader regulatory framework.
Over many years, VeriServe has accumulated extensive experience within the automotive sector. Through that experience, we have developed a detailed understanding not only of international standards but also of the unique quality culture that characterizes Japanese automotive manufacturers.
Historically, Japan’s automotive industry has placed extraordinary emphasis on quality. Much of this focus originally centered on manufacturing excellence and hardware reliability. As vehicles become increasingly software defined, manufacturers are now working to preserve those same high standards while extending them into software development and software quality assurance.
This creates challenges that are somewhat different from those faced by newer automotive companies. Some emerging manufacturers have adopted development models that are more heavily centered on software from the outset. Japanese manufacturers, by contrast, are integrating advanced software into an engineering culture that has long been built upon exceptionally rigorous manufacturing quality.
Understanding that environment is one of VeriServe’s strengths. We understand not only the technical standards that govern automotive software but also the quality philosophy that has shaped Japanese automotive manufacturing over many decades.
The rapid evolution of software defined vehicles has also transformed the competitive landscape for quality assurance. Global systems integrators, specialized testing companies, and international QA providers are all expanding their capabilities to support automotive software development. In a market where customers have access to numerous international partners, what differentiates VeriServe from other global quality assurance companies, and what advantages do you believe your company brings when supporting both Japanese manufacturers and international automotive organizations?
If we look globally, there are actually only a relatively small number of companies whose primary specialization is software quality assurance itself. Many large systems integrators certainly provide testing services as part of broader development activities, but companies whose principal business is dedicated exclusively to software quality are much fewer in number.
Within that group, I believe one of VeriServe’s greatest strengths is our long history of working alongside Japanese manufacturers and our deep understanding of their quality culture.
Japan’s automotive industry has always regarded quality as one of its defining characteristics. For many years that emphasis was focused primarily on hardware and manufacturing quality. Today, manufacturers are extending that philosophy into software while ensuring that software quality develops without compromising the reliability that has historically distinguished Japanese products.
This approach is not always identical to the methods adopted by newer automotive manufacturers such as Tesla or rapidly growing companies in China and Taiwan. Development philosophies differ, quality processes differ, and engineering cultures differ.
Because VeriServe has spent many years supporting Japanese automotive manufacturers, we understand the unique rules, expectations, and development practices that characterize these organizations. That accumulated understanding allows us to provide support that reflects not only technical requirements but also the broader quality philosophy upon which these companies operate.
At the same time, our expertise is certainly not limited to domestic customers. We have substantial experience supporting European original equipment manufacturers as well as international suppliers operating within the global automotive industry.
Our quality assurance methodologies are therefore applicable beyond Japan. We also support modern development approaches, including Agile development, and have engineers with experience serving as Scrum Masters and in other Agile leadership roles. This enables us to work effectively within contemporary software development environments while continuing to maintain the rigorous quality standards expected by our customers.
Ultimately, we believe our value lies in combining decades of accumulated quality expertise, deep knowledge of Japanese manufacturing practices, broad cross industry experience, and the flexibility to support both domestic and international development environments. As software continues to reshape the automotive industry, we believe these capabilities will become increasingly important for manufacturers seeking to balance innovation with reliability.
As software becomes increasingly global, quality assurance can no longer be viewed solely through the lens of a single domestic market. Software products are expected to comply with international regulations, support multinational development teams, and operate across increasingly interconnected digital ecosystems. VeriServe has established research and development capabilities in Vietnam, is working to support compliance with international frameworks such as the European Union’s Cyber Resilience Act, and continues to expand its engagement with overseas markets. Rather than simply increasing its geographic footprint, your company appears to be positioning itself as a quality assurance partner capable of supporting customers wherever global standards are required. How do you define VeriServe’s international strategy, and what role do global regulations, overseas collaboration, and emerging markets play in your long term vision for the company?
Our objective is certainly to strengthen our ability to support customers on a global basis. That includes initiatives such as expanding our research and development capabilities in Vietnam and helping customers respond to international regulatory frameworks such as the European Union’s Cyber Resilience Act. We believe it is essential to continue challenging ourselves to meet global standards because software development and quality assurance are becoming increasingly international.
In many respects, we are already supporting customers according to internationally recognized standards. Whether it is compliance with global regulations or adherence to internationally accepted quality frameworks, these activities have become a natural part of our business.
However, our goal is not simply to expand VeriServe as a global company for the sake of increasing our overseas presence. We are not pursuing globalization merely as a measure of corporate size or geographic reach. Our ambition is to become a company that customers need because we are capable of supporting them wherever global quality requirements exist.
If we focus only on Japan, there is a limit to how much we can continue broadening and advancing the quality services we provide. Looking outward allows us to learn from global practices while also contributing our own expertise. We believe that maintaining a global perspective is essential if we want to continue evolving as a quality assurance company.
For us, responding to international standards is not a separate initiative. It is part of becoming a trusted partner that can support customers as their own businesses expand internationally. As our customers become more global, our responsibility is to ensure that the quality assurance services we provide are equally capable of meeting international expectations.
Although your global strategy extends across many industries, software quality requirements often develop differently from one sector to another. Automotive, healthcare, cybersecurity, enterprise systems, and smart infrastructure each have their own priorities and technical challenges. As international demand for software quality assurance continues to evolve, where are you currently seeing the strongest opportunities outside Japan, and which industries do you believe are creating the greatest demand for VeriServe’s expertise?
In the automotive industry, business has already become highly globalized. Vehicles are designed, developed, manufactured, and sold across many countries, yet software quality activities are still often concentrated in Japan. In many cases, quality is established domestically before products are deployed internationally.
As a result, while our customers operate globally, much of the quality assurance work continues to be performed within Japan. Our responsibility is therefore to support global business while maintaining the quality standards established here.
That said, we have begun to see growing interest from Southeast Asia. These opportunities are still developing, but demand from the region has gradually increased.
Interestingly, some of these opportunities extend beyond traditional software testing.
One area attracting attention is the development of smart cities and urban infrastructure. In Japan, projects such as Toyota’s Woven City illustrate how entire communities are increasingly being designed around connected technologies. Similar initiatives are beginning to emerge internationally.
In these projects, quality assurance is not limited to testing individual software applications. Instead, it involves assuring the quality of an entire digital environment where transportation systems, infrastructure, communications, and many different technologies must operate together safely and reliably.
This represents an exciting area of future growth because the complexity of these environments creates entirely new quality assurance challenges. As cities become more connected and software becomes integrated into every aspect of daily life, ensuring quality across these systems will become increasingly important.
Artificial intelligence is transforming virtually every stage of software development, yet it is also changing the very definition of software quality. Traditional testing has generally focused on verifying whether software behaves exactly as specified. AI systems, however, do not always produce identical outputs when presented with the same inputs, making conventional quality assurance methods insufficient. In response, VeriServe has developed what it describes as a dual strategy consisting of AI for QA and QA for AI. Could you explain the difference between these two concepts, why both are necessary, and what makes your approach distinctive in today’s rapidly evolving AI landscape?
The two concepts address different aspects of the relationship between artificial intelligence and software quality.
AI for QA refers to the application of artificial intelligence within quality assurance itself. In other words, AI becomes a tool that supports software testing and quality related activities. By applying AI to quality assurance processes, we can improve efficiency, support engineers, and enhance the overall testing process.
QA for AI, on the other hand, addresses a completely different challenge. It focuses on assuring the quality of AI products, AI powered software, and services that incorporate artificial intelligence.
This distinction is becoming increasingly important because AI behaves differently from conventional software.
Traditional software generally follows predetermined specifications. If a specification states that one plus one should equal two, then testing simply verifies whether the software consistently produces that result.
Artificial intelligence does not operate in exactly the same way. When the same question is presented multiple times, AI may generate responses that differ slightly. Those differences do not necessarily indicate that the system is malfunctioning. Rather, they reflect the probabilistic nature of AI itself.
This means that conventional testing methods cannot simply be applied without modification.
Instead of expecting one single identical answer every time, it becomes necessary to evaluate whether the outputs remain within an acceptable range. The quality of AI must therefore be measured differently from the quality of traditional software.
Recognizing this challenge early, VeriServe developed evaluation criteria specifically for AI systems. We established methods for converting AI outputs into measurable evaluation indicators so that quality could be assessed quantitatively rather than relying solely on subjective judgment.
Rather than evaluating whether an answer is absolutely identical, we evaluate whether the results remain within predefined acceptable parameters. This represents a shift from traditional approaches toward new methods specifically designed for AI.
We have already begun applying these evaluation methodologies within Japan, particularly when working with companies developing AI technologies and AI enabled products.
Importantly, this approach is not limited to a specific industry or a particular AI application. It can be applied broadly to AI powered products as well as AI based services across many sectors.
As AI continues to evolve, we believe establishing reliable methods for evaluating AI quality will become one of the most important responsibilities within software quality assurance.
Artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing the way software is created. AI assisted development is making it possible to generate large volumes of code in a fraction of the time that was previously required, and software itself is becoming increasingly dynamic through technologies such as Software Defined Vehicles, intelligent connected systems, and continuously evolving digital services. As these technologies mature, quality assurance will no longer be limited to verifying whether software conforms to written specifications. Instead, it will increasingly be expected to assure trust, reliability, safety, and confidence in systems that continue to evolve even after deployment. Looking ahead over the next five years, how do you expect software quality assurance to change, what role do you believe VeriServe should play within that transformation, and what would you like the company to have achieved by the time we conduct this interview again in the future?
The way software is developed is already beginning to change significantly. As AI driven development becomes more widespread, artificial intelligence will increasingly generate large volumes of program code in a very short period of time. However, from the customer’s perspective, the quantity of code is not what ultimately matters.
What customers truly require is confidence that the systems and applications built from that code are safe, reliable, and trustworthy. No matter how quickly software can be produced, its value ultimately depends on whether people can use it with confidence.
Historically, software quality assurance has largely focused on confirming whether a product behaves according to its specifications. In many cases, testing has meant verifying that the expected output is produced for a given input and confirming that individual functions operate as intended.
While this remains important, we believe the role of quality assurance is expanding beyond that traditional definition.
Modern software rarely operates in isolation. Systems increasingly interact with numerous other applications, services, connected devices, cloud environments, and artificial intelligence. As software becomes more interconnected and continuously evolves, quality assurance must also evolve.
Rather than focusing only on verifying individual functions, we believe quality assurance should increasingly provide independent assurance that an entire system remains safe, secure, reliable, and worthy of users’ trust throughout its lifecycle.
This is particularly true for technologies such as AI and Software Defined Vehicles. These systems continue to evolve after deployment through software updates, new capabilities, and ongoing improvements. As products become more dynamic, maintaining confidence in their quality becomes an ongoing responsibility rather than a one time activity completed before release.
Our ambition is therefore to become a company that assures trust.
When we speak about quality, we are no longer referring only to verifying specifications. We are referring to providing confidence that complex digital systems can continue operating safely and reliably as they evolve over time.
Artificial intelligence and cybersecurity illustrate this shift particularly well. Software can increasingly be developed according to specification using advanced technologies, but customers ultimately want assurance that those technologies continue to perform safely in real world environments.
We want VeriServe to become the company that provides that assurance.
At the same time, software is becoming central to virtually every customer’s business. Software is no longer simply a technical component that supports operations. It increasingly defines products, services, and business strategies themselves.
Because of this transformation, we believe quality assurance should contribute not only to software quality but also to the success of our customers’ businesses.
Our goal is to support our customers’ business strategies through quality by helping them deliver products and services that people can trust.
Ultimately, we want VeriServe to be recognized not simply as a testing company, but as an organization that continuously provides confidence, safety, reliability, and trust in an increasingly software driven world.
Newsweek International reaches a diverse global audience that includes chief executives, technology leaders, investors, software engineers, policymakers, business partners, and professionals seeking to better understand the companies shaping the future of technology. Many of our readers may be encountering VeriServe for the first time through this interview. If you were to describe your company in a single message that captures both your philosophy and your purpose, how would you want people around the world to understand what VeriServe represents and the value it brings to customers?
At VeriServe, we describe ourselves as a Quality Creation Company.
That phrase represents much more than providing testing services or identifying software defects. Our objective is to create value through quality.
By assuring quality, we help provide our customers with safety, reliability, confidence, and trust. These qualities become part of the value that our customers deliver to their own users, whether they are manufacturers, software developers, service providers, or organizations operating in highly specialized industries.
We believe quality should not simply be inspected after a product has been completed. Quality should be created, strengthened, and continuously developed throughout the entire lifecycle of a product or service.
For more than four decades, we have worked alongside customers to solve increasingly complex quality challenges across many different industries. That experience has taught us that quality is not a fixed standard. It is something that must continually evolve as technology evolves.
Whether supporting automotive software, healthcare systems, enterprise applications, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, or future digital infrastructure, our mission remains the same. We seek to create the quality that enables people to use technology with confidence.
That is why we call ourselves a Quality Creation Company. We believe our role is not simply to verify what has already been built, but to help create the level of quality that society, businesses, and users increasingly expect in a world where software plays a central role in everyday life.
As software continues to transform every industry, we want VeriServe to be a trusted partner that enables innovation by ensuring that technological progress is matched by equally high standards of quality, reliability, safety, and confidence.